


Flora and Fauna

by mtwalker



Category: Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: F/M, Monster - Freeform, and that's the closest to an expert I've got, but I did get a Floridian to proofread, my gator knowledge is limited, swamp monster - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-10
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-16 05:41:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29327175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mtwalker/pseuds/mtwalker
Summary: Alice's lonely life just got a little less so.
Relationships: Alice Cullen/Jasper Hale
Comments: 9
Kudos: 5
Collections: Jalice Week - February 2021





	Flora and Fauna

Alice stepped carefully out onto the banks of the swamp, small flowers growing in her wake. For most, it would be hard to determine what spots were safe, but Alice knew her domain like the back of her hand. Her long wings, flapped lazily behind her, keeping small bugs at bay as she walked down her usual path. Life as a pixie was simple, but lonely. The plants were her company, and it was her job to keep them healthy. She took a lot of pride in her work, but she often wished for some amount of companionship. 

She was steadily making her way across a floating log, humming to herself as she went. A hop and a skip, and she would be on the other end. Just as she kept, she heard a sound from the water. She knew the animal sounds near here, but this was new. It was almost like… a chuckle? No, that wasn’t right. It couldn’t be right. She was the only one out here. 

Too lost in thought, her foot slipped and she careened into the cold, thick water. She quickly pulled herself out, scraping the layer of mud off of her face and arms. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d actually fallen in. Her wings fluttered furiously, but were still damp. She wouldn’t be flying anywhere soon, that much was certain. 

Cold and grumbling, she continued down the path. What was that sound? Things didn’t change that drastically around here. She should know, she’d been here her entire life. Still, the new sound intrigued her. Could she not be alone out here? If not, who were they? Could she even trust them?

She was pulled out of her thoughts by the sounds of splashing. Her heart clenched in her chest as she noticed a few alligators around the bank slip into the water, their eyes on her. She scrambled towards the nearest tree, jumping and clawing her way up. Her feet were still muddy and struggling to find purchase, but she had fear and adrenaline on her side, and quickly pulled herself out of their reach. 

Sitting on a branch, her knees pulled up to her chest, Alice watched the alligators sit comfortably below her. She couldn’t stay up there forever, which she and the gators both knew. With her wings still dirty, there was no way she could fly to safety either. She was completely and utterly trapped.

A lumbering form started moving between the trees, the shape too far away for Alice to completely make it out. Judging by it’s heavy footfalls, it was a large beast. It let out a loud roar, making the gators turn their heads towards the sound. Slowly, they started to inch in the direction of their new prey. They slunk back down into the water, and she watched the subtle ripples move away from her. Alice breathed a sigh of relief. Whoever that was, she owed them her life. 

She waited for a few minutes in the tree, making sure the gators didn’t lose interest and wander back. She then slowly made her way back down the tree, careful not to slip the rest of the way down. Finally on solid ground, she continued down the path, much more attentive this time. 

It didn’t take long before she started to see a shape moving in the trees around her.  _ Oh, great. This isn’t my day. _ She quietly groaned, preparing to run again, when a green, mossy  _ something _ came to a stop in front of her.

“What are you doing?” The exasperated tone made her bristle. “Are you trying to get eaten? Come on!” A plant-covered hand grabbed hold of her arm, pulling her along. 

“Hey!” She tried to pull out of it’s grip, but the creature held firm. 

“Stop pulling!” it shouted, voice hard and full of anger. It drug her in and out of trees, not pausing for a moment. Alice suddenly regretted wishing for companionship.

“J-Just let me go!” She pulled again, flapping her wings furiously to no avail. The being turned on her, and she could see golden eyes shining through the curtain of green that hung in front of its face.

“Do you want to get eaten?” It paused for a moment. “Then stop fighting me.”

Alice was silent the rest of the way, unsure of how she was going to get away. She had thought this was her savior, but she seemed to have stumbled into something far worse. 

He pulled her through a curtain of vines that covered a dry hollow. 

“Stay.”

She did as she was told, glancing around. There were small flowers growing around the edges of the floor, and a makeshift bed in the corner. In the center, there was a cold fire pit with the remains of a meal sat to the side. Moments later, he crept back in, holding a hollowed-out log full of clean water.

“Your wings need to be cleaned. You can’t get away from the alligators if you can’t fly, and they’re all over this swamp.”

Alice blushed, pursing her lips and taking the water from them. She’d not considered… Of course the gators were all over. She knew that. But they’d never been that much of a threat before, with her wings to keep her out of reach. She reached back to clean them, glancing over at the creature who began building a fire in the pit. 

“Who are you? No one lives out here but me.”

“Jasper. I’ve always lived out here.” He looked up at her. “I don’t… I understand plants far better than people.”

Her hands fell to her side and she inched towards him. Was he as lonely as she was out here?

“May I?” She held up a hand towards what she assumed was his face. He hesitated, then nodded, holding still for her. Alice, gently parted the greenery so that she could see his face. Pale skin and golden eyes peeked out at her, making her smile.  _ He really is handsome. _ “Why do you keep so covered?”

“I’ve never had a reason not to.” His voice was much quieter now, like he was afraid he’d scare her off if he spoke too loud. “And I wouldn’t want to hurt them.”

“I could take them off safely, if you want.” He nodded again, a small smile playing at the corner of his mouth.

Over the next few hours they sat together, her slowly untangling the plants from him, revealing more and more of the man underneath. She told him all about her life out there, about taking care of the swamp and the things she had seen. In turn he told her about his own life, about being one with the nature around them and understanding it at his core. They found that they felt more comfortable than they had ever been. 

Finally, Alice clapped her hands and took in her work. Jasper’s body was mostly revealed, small bits of moss and vines still tangled around him, but she could see  _ him _ now. She ran a hand lightly over his palm and he jumped.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean-”

“No, it’s alright.” Jasper stared at her, eyes full of wonder. “I forgot what it felt like. To… to  _ touch _ things like that.” He slowly reached out a hand and ran his fingers along her cheek. She smiled at him, and his grin widened in response. For the first time in a long time, they both felt a little less lonely. 

  
  



End file.
